This invention relates to a debris collection vehicle particularly intended for heavy duty, high volume commercial and industrial debris pickup. The vehicle is designed to be suitable for use on golf courses, parks, large lawns and even lightly wooded areas. Many light duty collection vehicles are known, and are essentially little more than riding lawn mowers which can pick up leaves, grass and very small twigs. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,433,532 and 4,426,830.
Other devices are known which are pulled by other vehicles, such as tractors, but perform essentially the same functions. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,761,943 and 3,903,565.
Still other devices, such as parking lot sweepers and the like, are built on truck bodies and are very expensive, but still perform primarily a vacuuming function.
The present invention is intended specifically to sweep up not only grass, leaves and similar materials, but also large pine cones, sticks, garbage and any other debris which can be reduced in size by grinding. The debris is substantially reduced in size and therefore concentrated, so that a much larger amount can be discharged into a collection container. A very large collection container is provided, so that it needs to be emptied relatively infrequently.
Low pressure golf cart-type tires permit use on soft turf areas. Organic material collected and ground is reduced to such small size that it can be used as mulch, and will quickly decompose into organic material suitable for enriching soil.